The Night Watch – Rembrandthuis The Night Watch The Night Watch The seventeenth century saw an unparalleled output of art in the Republic of the United Provinces. The number of paintings and prints produced during this period is staggering, and very many of them are of outstanding quality. Perhaps the most famous painting is the work by Rembrandt known as The Night Watch. It is a group portrait of a militia company. These were groups of able-bodied men who, if the need arose, could be called upon to defend the city or put down riots. The painting depicts the company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and his lieutenant, Willem van Ruytenburgh, surrounded by sixteen of their men. A shield above the gate bears the names of the eighteen people in the portrait, who paid for the work. The other people who appear in the painting were added by Rembrandt with an eye to enhancing the composition. He must have been given the commission in 1639 or soon afterwards. It is no coincidence that Rembrandt bought an expensive house at precisely this time. The militiamen met at fixed times in the Kloveniersdoelen. This was the range where they practised.

It was decided to commission six large militia pieces and a group portrait of the officers for the main hall of the building. Rembrandt was commissioned to paint one of the six large works. He decided on an audacious composition. The men are in action, busy forming up. The way that Rembrandt has arranged the figures creates immense vitality. This is reinforced by the striking use of light and shade. The men appear to be emerging from a dark gateway into the light. The girl to the captain’s left is in full light. She symbolizes the Kloveniers. The claws of the chicken hanging from her belt refer to the name ‘clauweniers’. She clasps the Kloveniers’ ceremonial drinking horn. Rembrandt, Officers and Men of the Amsterdam Kloveniers Militia, the Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq, signed and dated ‘Rembrandt f 1642’. Canvas, 363 x 438 cm, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum Rembrandt did not confine himself to a single technique. Some elements are worked out in minute detail, while in other places he seems to have applied the paint very thickly. Technically it is a masterly piece of work.

The captain’s hand, for instance, seems to be coming out of the painting towards the viewer. Contemporaries were very well aware of the quality of this painting. Rembrandt’s former pupil, the art theoretician Samuel van Hoogstraten, wrote about it in terms of great admiration. He pointed out that the composition and unity were more important to Rembrandt than the individual portraits. He described the work as strikingly ‘picturesque in conception’ and ‘elegantly’ and ‘powerfully’ done. This is what sets this painting apart from the other militia pieces that were made at the same time. Samuel van Hoogstraten also had a criticism. He wished that Rembrandt ‘had put more light into it’. The name Night Watch dates from the eighteenth century, when the painting had already darkened quite considerably. By then, people were no longer sure precisely what it represented. They evidently took it for a night scene.

Today 13-22 January: free workshops in The Rembrandt House Museum While we are anticipating our new exhibition Glenn Brown – Rembrandt: After Life, that will open on January 27th, there will be workshops held on… Read more » Etching demonstration Every day from 10:15 am to 1:15 pm, and from 1:45 pm to 4:45 pm. The demonstrations are free of charge and take place in Rembrandt’s former graphic… Read more » Paint preparation demonstration Every day from 10:15 am to 17:10 pm. These demonstrations are free of charge for visitors to the museum. In the master’s reconstructed studio, our demonstrators will show… Read more » Rembrandt’s First Paintings: The Four Senses Rembrandt’s earliest known paintings, The Four Senses, a set of four small panels representing sight, hearing, smell and touch, can be seen in the Rembrandt… Read more » Night Watch | painting by Rembrandt | Britannica.com painting by Rembrandt THIS IS A DIRECTORY PAGE. Britannica does not currently have an article on this topic.

Alternative Title: “The Militia Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq” The Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch, better known as the Night Watch, oil on canvas by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1642; in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. 363 × 437 cm. DeA Picture Library Learn about this topic in these articles: in Rembrandt van Rijn: Night Watch The artist with whom Rembrandt was most preoccupied during the second half of the 1630s was Leonardo da Vinci, and in particular his Last Supper (1495–98), which Rembrandt knew from a reproduction print. It is evident from several of Rembrandt’s sketched variants (1635) on Leonardo’s composition that he was above all intrigued by the problem of the... in Rembrandt van Rijn ...(in his drawings and etchings) his treatment of line and tone—are subject to gradual (or sometimes abrupt) transformation, even within a single work.

The painting known as Night Watch (1640/42) was clearly a turning point in his stylistic development. These changes are not the result of an involuntary evolution; rather they should be seen as documenting a... Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, Known as the ‘Night Watch’, Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, 1642 - Rijksmuseum Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, Known as the ‘Night Watch’, Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, 1642 Show details Add to your set. Number of favorites: 15,665 Save in your Rijksstudio Zoom in Zoom out Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, Known as the ‘Night Watch’, Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, 1642 oil on canvas, h 379.5cm × w 453.5cm × w 337kg.

More details Rembrandt’s largest, most famous canvas was made for the Arquebusiers guild hall. This was one of several halls of Amsterdam’s civic guard, the city’s militia and police. Rembrandt was the first to paint figures in a group portrait actually doing something. The captain, dressed in black, is telling his lieutenant to start the company marching. The guardsmen are getting into formation. Rembrandt used the light to focus on particular details, like the captain’s gesturing hand and the young girl in the foreground. She was the company mascot. yesterday - 26 works 0 0 Make your own creations with this work Identification Title(s) Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, Known as the ‘Night Watch’ Officers and other civic guardsmen of District II in Amsterdam, under the command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch, known as ‘The Night Watch’ Object type inscription Description Het korporaalschap van kapitein Frans Banninck Cocq en luitenant Willem van Ruytenburch, bekend als de 'Nachtwacht'.

Schutters van de kloveniersdoelen uit een poort naar buiten tredend. Op een schild aangebracht naast de poort staan de namen van de afgebeelde personen: Frans Banninck Cocq, heer van purmerlant en Ilpendam, Capiteijn Willem van Ruijtenburch van Vlaerdingen, heer van Vlaerdingen, Lu[ij]tenant, Jan Visscher Cornelisen Vaendrich, Rombout Kemp Sergeant, Reijnier Engelen Sergeant, Barent Harmansen, Jan Adriaensen Keyser, Elbert Willemsen, Jan Clasen Leydeckers, Jan Ockersen, Jan Pietersen bronchorst, Harman Iacobsen wormskerck, Jacob Dircksen de Roy, Jan vander heede, Walich Schellingwou, Jan brugman, Claes van Cruysbergen, Paulus Schoonhoven. De schutters zijn gewapend met lansen, musketten en hellebaarden. Rechts de tamboer met een grote trommel.

Tussen de soldaten links staat een meisje met een dode kip om haar middel, rechts een blaffende hond. Linksboven de vaandrig met de uitgestoken vaandel. Creation h 379.5 cm × w 453.5 cm × w 337 kg × w 170 kg Subject On loan from the City of Amsterdam Acquisition The Golden Age reloaded : die Faszination niederländischer Malerei des 17. Jahrhunderts : Sammlungen der Villa Vauban und des Rijksmuseums Amsterdam , Martina Sitt, afb. p. 60 Rembrandt : the painter thinking , Ernst van de Wetering, p. 141, 260, fig. 121, 238 Rembrandt in perspectief : de veranderende visie op de meester en zijn werk , Jaco Rutgers, Mieke Rijnders, Xander van Eck, p. 22, 25, 180, afb.

1.6, 1.9, 6.6 Hollanders van de Gouden Eeuw , Maarten Hell, Emma Los, Norbert E. Middelkoop, Tom van der Molen, Paul Spies, p. 68-69, afb. 58 Rembrandt : the painter at work , Ernst van de Wetering, p. 179, afb. 245, 196-203, 257 Rembrandt : pintor de historias , Teresa Posada Kubissa, Alejandro Vergara, Mariët Westermann, p. 39, afb. 16 Het Rembrandt boek [ : 1 2006] , Gary Schwartz, p. 172, 175 Rembrandt : zoektocht van een genie , Bob van den Boogert, Michiel Franken, Ernst van de Wetering, p. 48 De Nachtwacht , Gary Schwartz Nederlandse kunst in het Rijksmuseum 1600-1700 , Jan Piet Filedt Kok, Reinier J.

Baarsen, Bart Cornelis, Jan Daniël van Dam De glorie van de Gouden Eeuw : Nederlandse kunst uit de 17de eeuw : schilderijen, beeldhouwkunst en kunstnijverheid , Jan Piet Filedt Kok, Judikje Kiers, Fieke Tissink, p. 107 + afb., cat.nr. 65 Rembrandts schatkamer , Bob van den Boogert, Ben P.J. Broos, Roelof van Gelder, Jaap van der Veen, p. 74-75 Rembrandt by himself [ : 1 1999] , Edwin Buijsen, Quentin Buvelot, Volker Manuth, Ernst van de Wetering, Christopher White, Marieke de Winkel, p. 32, 33 + afb. Artifice and illusion : the art and writing of Samuel van Hoogstraten , Celeste Brusati, p. 246-247 + afb. Dutch painting 1600-1800 , Jakob Rosenberg, Seymour Slive, p.

72-74 + afb. Rembrandt : de meester en zijn werkplaats : schilderijen , Christopher Brown, Jan Kelch, Pieter J.J. van Thiel Rembrandt , Annemarie A.E. Vels Heijn, p. 64 Rembrandt : zijn leven, zijn schilderijen : een nieuwe biografie met alle beschikbare schilderijen in kleur afgebeeld , Gary Schwartz, p. 209-224, 228, 231, 259, afb. 230 Het Trippenhuis te Amsterdam , Isabella Henriette van Eeghen, Rudolf Meischke, H.E. Reeser, p. 214-215, 259, afb. 168 A corpus of Rembrandt paintings , Josua Bruyn, D. Cook-Radmore, Karin Groen, L. Peese Binkhorst-Hoffscholte, Ernst van de Wetering, p. 430-485, cat.nr.

A 146 Rembrandt : the complete edition of the paintings , Abraham Bredius, Horst Karl Gerson, cat.nr. 410 Rembrandt and the Italian Renaissance , Kenneth Clark, p. 70, 85, 86, 88, 160, 172, 214, afb. 77 The Rembrandt Database, Object information, Rembrandt, Civic guardsmen of Amsterdam under command of Banninck Cocq, dated 1642, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, inv. no. SK-C-5, accessed 2016 February 01 Inzoomer object op zaal, 2013 (Nederlands/English). A. Jensen Adams, Public Faces and Private Identities in Seventeenth-Century Holland, Portraiture and the Production of Community, New York 2009, p. 211-217, fig. 60. M. Rayssac, 'l'Exode des Musées, Histoire des oeuvres d'art sous l'Occupation', Parijs 2007.

K.M. Groen, 'Earth Matters, The origin of the material used for the preparation of the Nightwatch and many other canvases in Rembrandt's workshop after 1640', Art Matters, volume 3, p. 138. E. Runia. A. van Suchtelen, Rembrandt, Den Haag 2006, p. 14. Y. van Veelen, 'Work in progress. De strijd om de Nachtwacht', Kunstbeeld nr. 12/1 (dec. 2004/jan. 2005), p. 44-47. 'Omtrents Rembrandts Nachtwacht', Kunstkrant Rijksmuseum Amsterdam nr. 1 (1998), p. 14-20. H. van Os, in: Bulletin van het Rijksmuseum nr. 4 (1996), p. 309-320 + afb. J. Boomgaard, 'De Verloren Zoon. Rembrandt en de Nederlandse Kunstgeschiedenisbeschrijving', Kunstreeks (1995). P. Taylor, 'Darkness at Noon.

Rembrandts Nachtwacht', Kunstschrift 6 (1994), p. 22-27 + afb. Fieke Tissink, 'Hoofdstuk uit het Rijksmuseum', Rijksmuseum Kunstkrant 19 (1993) nr. 3, p. 14-18. O. Pacht, 'Rembrandt', Munchen 1991, p. 19-30 + ill. A.K. Wheelock, 'The Age of Rembrandt', Studies in seventeenth Century Dutch Painting (The Pennsylvania State University, 1988), p. 215, 223 (afb.). J.B. Bedaux, 'Een achttiende eeuwse kunsttheoretische discussie', Kunstlicht 15 (1985), p. 25-28. C. Grimm, 'Handschrift, schildertechniek en beeldstructuur. Bijdrage tot het onderzoek naar toeschrijving, I: de helmen van Rembrandt', Tableau (1982/83), p.

246-248, afb. 5. E. van de Wetering, 'Ontrouw aan Rembrandt', Kunstschrift (Openbaar Kunstbezit) (1982), p. 166-167, 171, afb. 24-26. K. Clark, 'What is a masterpiece?', Portfolio. The Magazine of the Visual Arts, 2 (1980), p. 51 + afb. H. Günther, 'Damals oder heute unverstanden. Zum Problem von Rembrandts Nachtwache', Welkunst 50 (1980), p. 1848-1850 + afb. U. Schumacher, 'Gruppenporträt und Genrebild. Zur Deutung der Photographie fur die franzosische Malerei des 19. Jahrhunderts, Giessener Beiträge zur Kunstgeschichte 4 (1979), p. 29, afb. 11. M.M. Toth-Ubbens, 'De barbier van Amsterdam.

Aantekeningen over de relaties tussen het Waaggebouw en de Schouwburg in de zeventiende eeuw', Antiek 10 (1975), p. 388, afb. 12. H. Gerson, 'De Nachtwacht', Openbaar Kunstbezit, 10e jaargang, januari (1966). Chr. White, 'Rembrandt', Den Haag 1964, p. 65, 66 + afb. A.J. Moes-Veth, 'Rembrandt's Claudius Civilis en de Nachtwacht van terzijde beschouwd, Oud Holland LXXV (1960), p. 143. A.J. Moes-Veth, 'De Nachtwacht en haar oude copieen', Oud Holland LXII (1947), p. 188.

J.A.Overhoff, 'De Nachtwacht op zwerftocht' (het schilderij ten tijde van WO II), [2016] The Night Watch, Rembrandt: Analysis, Meaning The Painting So famous a picture, which in the past has been almost as much abused as praised, has not surpringly triggered an immense amount of analysis, only some of which can be discussed here. Known for its colossal size (roughly 12 feet x 14 feet), the canvas - when compared to earlier copies, like the version (c.1650) by Gerrit Lundens, now in the National Gallery, London - has obviously been trimmed, probably when it was moved to the Town Hall in 1715. About 60 cm, incorporating two background figures and a baby, have been removed from the left side, and lesser amounts from the other three sides. This unbalances the composition (the arch in the background was originally nearer the center) and compresses the figures into too confined a space.

In all twenty-six figures are now fully or partially visible, including three children (or dwarves) and small parts of five more figures can just be discerned in the background. To the right of the arch there is a shield, added later, bearing the name of eighteen of the persons portrayed. According to two of them, who gave evidence on Rembrandt's behalf during the investigation into his financial affairs in 1658, he was paid a total of 1,600 guilders - the sitters contributed an average of 100 guilders each, the sum varying with their prominence in the picture. Inaccurate Title At least since the cleaning of the picture in 1946-7, it has been evident that the scene takes place in daylight, with the sun streaming down from the top left. A further cleaning completed in 1980 showed that the tones are predominantly cool. The traditional title The Nightwatch which dates from the late 18th century, is therefore incorrect but it would be absurdly pedantic to suggest changing it now.

Key Figures Demonstrating his mastery of sunlight and shade, Rembrandt leads the eye to the three key characters among the ensemble - the two officers in the centre (from whom the painting gets its original title), and the small girl in the centre left background. Behind them the company's colours are carried by the ensign, Jan Visscher Cornelissen. The senior and central officer, Captain Franz Banning Cocq (1605-55), is dressed in black with a red sash. His Lieutenant, Willem Van Ruytenburch, is in pale yellow with a white sash, and carries a ceremonial lance. The girl to the left of and behind Banning Cocq acts as a sort of pictorial mascot. She carries the guild's costly drinking horn and, at her girdle, a dead fowl, the prominent claw of which is an emblem of the Musketeers. This bird may also be intended as a pun on the Captain's name. Other Subjects The man in front of the girl is wearing a helmet with an oak leaf, another traditional emblem of the Musketeers or Arquebusiers. Several figures are shown handling their weapons.

One pours powder down the barrel of his musket; another, to the right and behind the Lieutenant, is attending to the priming pan; a third - the small figure in a helmet directly behind Banning Cocq - appears to be firing his musket into the air. Some characters are represented much more distinctly than others, while the eighteen who subscribed are supplemented by almost as many subordinate figures, included by Rembrandt for pictorial effect. Adding these extra subjects also allowed him to make use of his broad repertoire of figure drawing and other studies. A Militia Company Portrait Local militia companies were raised during the 16th century during the Dutch war of Independence, to protect the cities from invasion by the Spanish army active in Flanders. But by Rembrandt's time they were no longer employed in a military capacity except on the borders, and were kept in being purely for symbolic reasons. It seems that the company in Rembrandt's painting is marching out to take part in a shooting match. Various other interpretations of the picture involving illusions to past and contemporary historical events have also been put forward, but they are all now discredited.

The meaning of the painting is likely to be purely that of a role portrait, the theme of which is the 'citizen in arms'. Militia Portrait Transformed Visually, The Nightwatch tranforms the prosaic genre of militia portraiture into an action picture - a work of great movement, dazzling inventiveness and splendour or, as some 19th century critics maintained, a widely over-inflated account of a very ordinary event, or a cross between a portrait and genre painting . It marked at once a revolution in, and the swan song of, the militia company portrait, for shortly afterwards, the demand for these portraits ceased and artists turned to the quieter and more humdrum scenes of the guild portrait and the portrait of the board of hospital governors. (Compare his novel treatment of militia portraits with his treatment of 'dissection portraits' as in his famous Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1632, Mauritshuis). Moreover, Rembrandt himself was never to paint such a flamboyant or such a fully Baroque picture again.

However, one thing is certain; the painting was a major success at the time, and more than justified his status as one of the best portrait artists in Europe. The story that it was disliked by those portrayed and that it was the cause in the decline in Rembrandt's contemporary reputation (which did occur to some extent in the late 1640s and 1650s) is a romantic fiction invented in the 19th century. Indeed it is a wonder how this fiction arose, since there is abundant evidence to show that for more than a hundred years after it was painted, The Nightwatch was widely regarded as Rembrandt's most celebrated work. Rembrandt One of the greatest Dutch Realist artists , Rembrandt is famous for his penetrating and powerful portraiture, of both individuals and groups. This, together with his supreme painting skills, his atmospheric handling of light, and his mastery of chiaroscuro, make him one of the best artists of all time .

The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn click here for a larger image from: "The Legend and the Man," in The World of Rembrandt: 1606-1669 (Time-Life Library of Art), Walter Wallace, New York, 1968, pp. 107-111 Since this celebrated work will always be known by an incorrect title, and since those who have not seen it continue to believe, quite logically, that it is a nocturne Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenhurch, and not until late in the 18th Century did it acquire the name by which it is now known. Unfortunately, both "Night" and " "Watch" are wrong. The civic guards who are depicted had, by the time Rembrandt painted them, become quite pacific; it was no longer necessary for them to defend the ramparts of Amsterdam or to go out on watches by night or by day.

Their meetings had been diverted chiefly to social or sporting purposes; if they may be said to have any particular destination in the painting, it is perhaps to march into the fields for a shooting contest or to take part in a parade. "Night" is even less apt than "Watch." When the critics and the public attached that word to the painting, the canvas had become so darkened by dirt and layers of varnish that it was difficult to tell whether the illumination Rembrandt had provided in it came from the sun or moon. Not until after the end of World War II was the painting fully restored so that the viewer could get an idea of the brightness it had when it left Rembrandt's hand more than 300 years before. (Upon seeing the refreshed work, journalists promptly re-christened it the "Day Watch.") Rembrandt, possibly more than any other artist, has suffered from the ministrations of picture restorers. The infamous "Rembrandt brown" is their work, not his, and so too is the widespread impression that he was a monotonous colorist who invariably worked with a low-keyed palette.

It is true that the forceful use of chiaroscuro in his paintings, with its emphasis on the mysterious, evocative qualities of shadow, has always disturbed certain critics, and so occasionally has his subject matter. John Ruskin, the 19th Century English art critic and essayist, who had a superb knack for being wrong in just the right words, remarked that "it is the aim of the best painters to paint the noblest things they can see by sunlight, but of Rembrandt to paint the foulest things he could see by rushlight." However even Ruskin, if he had seen a cleaned Rembrandt panel or canvas, might have directed some of his vitriol at the men who applied layer upon layer of toned varnish on the artist's pictures. In the past generation not only the Night Watch but many other Rembrandt paintings have been stripped of their dirty and discolored overlays-with a consequential appraisal by critics of his genius as a colorist. There is an understandable, if not a good, reason why Rembrandt's works were so slathered with varnish.

As he matured he became increasingly free in his technique, using bold strokes, passages of broken color, heavy impasto applied with the palette knife, and areas scumbled with his fingers. This highly personal stlye proved a mystery to most critics of the late 17th and 18th Centuries, who attributed it to laxness or perversity. Rembrandt himself seems to have suggested indirectly that his work was to be observed at a slight distance, so that the intervening space would make his strokes and colors fuse. According to Houbraken, "visitors to his studio who wanted to look at his works closely were frightened away by his saying, 'The smell of the colors will bother you.'" The probability is that Rembrandt was not at all concerned about the smell of fresh paint, which is pleasant to many people, but that he did not care to answer dim questions from his guests. To their credit, it should be recorded 'that there were a few early critics who admired Rembrandt's rough strokes and said so.

In 1700 an English writer on art, John Eisum, published a poem dedicated to "An Old Man's Head, by Rembrant": What a coarse rugged Way of Painting's here, Stroaks upon Stroaks, Dabbs upon Dabbs appear. The Work you' d think was huddled up in haste, But mark how truly ev'ry Colour's placed, With such Oeconomy in such a sort, That they each mutualiy support. Rembrant! thy Pencil plays a subtil Part This Roughness is contriv'd to hide thy Art. One or two theorists of Rembrandt's era agreed that his paintings, in their "coarse rugged Way," would appear more coherent if one stepped back from them, but they noted that a similar coherence could be obtained with varnish. As a result, for more than a century after Rembrandt's death liberal applications of varnish, frequently tinted, were applied to many of his paintings by dealers-and what is even more unfortunate-by collectors. Theoretically, the Night Watch should not have been a candidate for such treatment.

Although it contains some wonderfully rich and complex areas, Rembrandt did not paint it in the freest style he would ultimately achieve. Nonetheless, this masterpiece received its full gallonage of Golden Glow and Toner. In fairness to the varnishers, it must be said that their intention was to protect the paintings from dirt as well as to "improve" certain of them by making the strokes and colors blend. Inadvertently, the varnishers also rendered a great service to the world of art. In 1911, when the Night Watch was still covered with a thick layer of hardened varnish, an unemployed ship's cook went at it with a knife. He seems to have had no reason for this act of apparent madness beyond the fact that the painting was famous and he was not. But its surface coating proved as resistant as glass, and the attacker was unable to cut through it. The Night Watch was commissioned by Captain Barining Cocq and 17 members of his civic guards; that this was the total of Rembrandt's clients for the work is assumed from the fact that 18 names, added by an unknown hand after the painting was completed, appear on a shield on the background wall.

Doubtless the guardsmen expected a group portrait in which each member would be clearly recognizable, although perhaps not of equal prominence; it was often the practice for less affluent or junior members of a group to be represented only by heads or partial figures, for which they paid less than did those who were portrayed full length. The guardsmen, most of whom must have been familiar with Rembrandt's Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp of a decade earlier, may also have foreseen that the artist would not produce a standard, static painting. But none of them could have been prepared for the thunderous masterwork with which they were confronted. The Night Watch is colossal. In its original dimensions it measured approximately 13 by 16 feet and contained not only the 18 guardsmen but 16 other figures added by Rembrandt to give still more animation to an already tumultuous scene. It was by far the most revolutionary painting Rembrandt had yet made, transforming the traditional Dutch group portrait into a dazzling blaze of light, color and motion, and subordinating the requirements of orthodox portraiture to a far larger, more complex but still unified whole.

In Rembrandt's hands what was, after all, a commonplace affair became filled with Baroque pictorial splendor, loud with the sound of drum and musket, the thud of ramrods, the barking of a dog, the cries of children. In the forefront Captain Banning Cocq - in black, with a red sash - and his lieutenant in yellow lead the forward drive of the still unformed ranks. The sense of movement is reinforced by converging diagonal lines: on the right, the foreshortened spontoon in the lieutenant's hand, the musket above it and the lance still higher; and on the left, the captain's staff, its line repeated above by another musket and the banner. The effect on the viewer is direct; he feels that he had best get out of the way. The powerful contrast of light and shade heightens the sense of movement, but it is well to regard Rembrandt's use of light in this painting, as in many others, from an esthetic rather than from a strictly logical view- point.

He was, in the phrase of one critic, "his own sun-god." The shadow cast by the captain's hand on the lieutenant's coat might suggest that the sun is at an apparent angle of about 45 degrees to the left, but the shadow of the captain's extended leg indicates quite a different angle. The picture was of course composed and painted indoors, not while the officers posed for him out of doors, and although his lighting in any particular detail may be true to nature, that is not the case overall. He regulated and manipulated light-opening or closing the shutters in his studio-for his own purpose, which was to create an atmosphere both dreamlike and dramatic. The Night Watch lies at the center of the most persistent and annoying of all Rembrandt myths. As recently as the tourist season of 1967, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines featured the painting by their illustrious countryman in an advertisement inviting travelers to visit Holland.

"See Night Watch," said the advertisement, "Rembrandt's spectacular 'failure' (that caused him to be) hooted ...down the road to bankruptcy." The myth has been attacked by various critics, and a few years ago it was utterly demolished by Professor Seymour Slive of Harvard in Rembrandt and His Critics. But since the tale has a phoenix-like capacity for self-resurrection, a few of Professor Slive's observations will bear repeating here. The painting was not poorly received; no critic during Rembrandt's lifetime wrote a word in dispraise of it. Captain Banning Cocq himself had a watercolor made of it for his personal album, and a contemporary oil copy of it by Gerrit Lundens, now owned by the National Gallery in London, offers further proof of the picture' s popularity. The Night Watch was never hidden in some obscure location; it was first hung in the Kloveniersdoelen, the headquarters of the civic guardsmen, and in 1715 it was moved to the Amsterdam town hall, as prominent a place as could have been found for it.

(Probably on the occasion of its transferal, but no doubt for reasons of space, the painting was cut down on all four sides. The greatest loss was on the left, where a strip about two feet wide, containing three figures, was removed. Nor did painting this supposed "failure" result in any abrupt withdrawal of patronage; Rembrandt received about 1,600 guilders for the Night Watch, and four years later the Prince of Orange gave him 2,400 for two smaller works. The fable of the Night Watch may owe its stubborn survival to the fact that it is a simple and convenient means of disposing of a complex matter. In 1642 Rembrandt was at the height of his popularity, and thereafter he slowly fell out of public favor, though never to the extent that romantic biographers suggest. What were the reasons for his "decline"? One of them, certainly, was a change in Dutch tastes in art. During the 1640s wealthy citizens, perhaps growing a trifle soft in their security, developed a fondness for showiness and elegance.

They began to prefer the bright colors and graceful manner that had been initiated by such painters as the fashionable Flemish portraitist Anthony van Dyck- who, however fine an artist, lacked Rembrandt' s depth. Rembrandt's use of chiaroscuro dissatisfied them too, and they turned away from an artist who seemed "dark" and-what was perhaps worse-demanded that they devote some thought to what they were looking at. paintings Rembrandt van Rijn Biography (Artist) Birthplace: Leiden, Netherlands Best known as: The Dutch master known for his self-portraits One of the great Dutch painters and printmakers of the 17th century, Rembrandt van Rijn is best known for his expressive use of light and shadow (also called chiaroscuro) in his many portraits. Raised in Leiden, he studied with Pieter Lastman (1583-1633) in Amsterdam, then returned to Leiden around 1625 and set up shop as a teacher and portrait artist. Sometime between 1630 and 1632 Rembrandt relocated to Amsterdam, where he spent the rest of his career.

Though he had his detractors (some of whom considered him coarse and "low born"), Rembrandt was successful and famous during his lifetime, though he fell on financial hard times in his later years. He was a master printer and produced hundreds of group portraits and historical paintings, including The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp (1632), The Military Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq (1642) and Aristotle with a Bust of Homer (1653). His portraits -- including a lifelong trail of intriguing and rather frank self-portraits -- reveal his interest in psychological study and continue to be admired as landmarks in Western art. Extra credit: The Military Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq is also known as "The Night Watch" because it was thought the painting depicted a nighttime scene. When the painting was cleaned in the 1940s it became obvious that it depicted a daytime scene... He married Saskia van Ulenburgh (also Uylenburgh) in 1634. They had a son, Titus, in 1641, and Saskia died in 1642; both Titus and Saskia appear in many of Rembrandt's paintings.

Copyright © 1998-2017 by Who2?, LLC. All rights reserved. The Night Watch - Wikidata The Night Watch Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch The Nightwatch Cite this page This page was last modified on 2 January 2017, at 13:55. All structured data from the main and property namespace is available under the Creative Commons CC0 License ; text in the other namespaces is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Rembrandt, The Night Watch – Smarthistory Rembrandt van Rijn, The Night Watch (Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq), 1642, oil on canvas, 379.5 x 453.5 cm (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam) A night watch?

Would it surprise you to find that the title that Rembrandt’s most famous painting is known by is actually incorrect? The so-called Night Watch is not a night scene at all; it actually takes place during the day. This title, which was not given by the artist, was first applied at the end of the 18th century. By that time the painting had darkened considerably through the accumulation of many layers of dirt and varnish, giving the appearance that the event takes place at night.

Rembrandt, Officers and Men of the Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Wilhelm van Ruytenburgh, known as the Night Watch, 1642, oil on canvas, 379.5 x 453.5 cm (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands) A more accurate title, one that is in keeping with the naming of other contemporary portraits of this type is the “Officers and Men of the Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Wilhelm van Ruytenburgh.” A view to Rembrandt’s Night Watch at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (photo: Henk Bekker , CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) The Dutch civic guard Rembrandt’s Night Watch is an example of a very specific type of painting that was exclusive to the Northern Netherlands, with the majority being commissioned in the city of Amsterdam. It is a group portrait of a company of civic guardsmen. The primary purpose of these guardsmen was to serve as defenders of their cities. As such, they were tasked with guarding gates, policing streets, putting out fires, and generally maintaining order throughout the city.

Additionally, they were an important presence at parades held for visiting royalty as well and other festive occasions. Each company had its own guild hall as well as a shooting range where they could practice with the specific weapon associated with their group, either a longbow, a crossbow, or a firearm. According to tradition, these assembly halls were decorated with group portraits of its most distinguished members, which served not only to record the likenesses of these citizens, but more importantly to assert the power and individuality of the city that they defended. In short, these images helped promote a sense of pride and civic duty. Captain and Lieutenant (detail), Rembrandt, Officers and Men of the Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Wilhelm van Ruytenburgh, known as the Night Watch, 1642, oil on canvas, 379.5 x 453.5 cm (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam) Rembrandt was at the height of his career when he received the commission to paint the Night Watch for the Kloveniersdoelen, the guild hall that housed the Amsterdam civic guard company of arquebusiers, or musketeers.

This company was under the command of Captain Frans Banning Cocq, who holds a prominent position in the center foreground of the image (above left). He wears the formal black attire and white lace collar of the upper class, accented by a bold red sash across his chest. At his waist is a rapier and in his hand a baton, the latter of which identifies his military rank. Striding forward, he turns his head to the left and emphatically extends his free hand as he addresses his lieutenant, Willem van Ruytenburgh, who turns to acknowledge his orders. He is also fancifully dressed, but in bright yellow, his military role referenced by the steel gorget he wears around his neck and the strongly foreshortened ceremonial partisan that he carries. Sixteen additional portraits of members of this company are also included, with the names of all inscribed on a framed shield in the archway. As was common practice at the time, sitters paid a fee that was based on their prominence within the painting. Nicolaes Eliasz.

Pickenoy, Civic guards from the company of captain Jacob Backer and lieutenant Jacob Rogh, 1632 (Amsterdam Historical Museum) A unique approach Drummer (detail), Rembrandt, Officers and Men of the Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Wilhelm van Ruytenburgh, known as the Night Watch, 1642, oil on canvas, 379.5 x 453.5 cm (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam) Compared to other civic guard portraits, Rembrandt’s Night Watch stands out significantly in terms of its originality. Rather than replicating the typical arrangement of boring rows of figures (see above), Rembrandt animates his portrait. Sitters perform specific actions that define their roles as militiamen. A great deal of energy is generated as these citizens spring to action in response to their captain’s command. Indeed, the scene has the appearance of an actual historical event taking place although what we are truly witnessing is the creative genius of Rembrandt at work. Men wearing bits of armor and varied helmets, arm themselves with an array of weapons before a massive, but imaginary archway that acts as a symbol of the city gate to be defended.

On the left, the standard bearer raises the troop banner while on the far right a group of men hold their pikes high. In the left foreground, a young boy carrying a powder horn dashes off to collect more powder for the musketeers. Opposite him, a drummer taps out a cadence while a dog barks enthusiastically at his feet. Rembrandt’s self-portrait—just one eye and a beret? (detail), Rembrandt, Officers and Men of the Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Wilhelm van Ruytenburgh, known as the Night Watch, 1642, oil on canvas, 379.5 x 453.5 cm (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam) In addition to the eighteen paid portraits, Rembrandt introduced a number of extras to further animate the scene and allude to the much larger makeup of the company as a whole. Most of these figures are relegated to the background with their faces obscured or only partly visible. One, wearing a beret and peering up from behind the helmeted figure standing next to the standard bearer has even been identified as Rembrandt himself.

Three musketeers While a number of different weapons are included in the painting, the most prominent weapon is the musket, the official weapon of the Kloveniers. Three of the five musketeers are given a place of significance just behind the captain and lieutenant where they carry out in sequential order the basic steps involved in properly handling a musket. First, on the left, a musketeer dressed all in red, charges his weapon by pouring powder into the muzzle. Next, a rather small figure wearing a helmet adorned with oak leaves fires his weapon to the right. Finally, the man behind the lieutenant clears the pan by blowing off the residual powder (both the figure in a helmet with oak leaves and the man blowing off the powder are visible in the detail of the central figures above). In his rendering of these steps, it seems that Rembrandt was influenced by weapons manuals of the period.

A golden girl Personification of the Kloveniers (detail), Rembrandt, Officers and Men of the Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Wilhelm van Ruytenburgh, known as the Night Watch, 1642, oil on canvas, 379.5 x 453.5 cm (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam) Probably the most unusual feature is the mysterious girl who emerges from the darkness just behind the musketeer in red. With flowing blond hair and a fanciful gold dress, the young girl in all her brilliance draws considerable attention. Her most curious attribute, however, is the large white chicken that hangs upside down from her waistband. The significance of this bird, particularly its claws, lies in its direct reference to the Kloveniers. Each guild had its own emblem and for the Kloveniers it was a golden claw on a blue field. The girl then is not a real person, but acts as a personification of the company.

Question: How is the painting 'The Militia Company Of Captain Frans Banning Cocq' better known?
Answer: 'THE NIGHT WATCH'